In Defense of My Recipes

(I'm stealing this blog post title from the fabulous Dreena Burton...who had a similar issue.)

Ever since writing my cookbook, I've tried to deal better with criticism.I've accepted that not everyone is going to like all of my recipes and some people may hate my book altogether. When those people come along, I try not to let this make me want to quit.

Anyway, today I noticed I had a new 1-star review on Amazon... and

I couldn't help myself, I had to look:

"After reading the reviews I had a look at happyherbivore.com, I was curious if she used oil in the recipes. Well after reading the mashed potato recipe it is obvious there is no skill here. Garlic powder, onion flakes...come on give me a break, who cooks like that? I just could not buy this book after reading the mashed potato ingredients."

I wanted to scream -- bang my fists into the floor and pull my hair out.

Well, dear reviewer, *I* cook like that.

I'm also not quite sure why my *book* is getting a bad review for a recipe that's on my *blog* but that's not here nor there. People can think what they want.... but of all the 150 recipes that are free on this website I'm not sure why he or she picked that one to look at, or why that recipe alone convinced him or her I'm not talented... or what they were expecting from a recipe for mashed potatoes. I mean, it's mashed potatoes...

and because Dreena is far more eloquent then me, let me borrow some of her language to explain my feelings:

"I know the positive reviews outweigh the bad. And I know that's what is important. But I feel I need to stick up for myseld and my own work here, and since this is my blog, that's what I'm going to do."

Mashed potatoes, by the way, are AWESOME with garlic powder and onion powder (or onion flakes). It really gives them something extra -- a lot of flavor without the fat (butter, cream).

As you all know, I love my dried spices!They're cheap, convenient, and fast! Plus I don't have to waste time chopping and sauteing.I'm a lazy cook, a home cook... a girl who wants easy, healthy and tasty all at once... and I'm not going to apologize for that.